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Ad Libs: 'Mapping Edo'

In our young country, it seems inconceivable that a span of 200-plus years could be just “a period,” a fraction of our history. But that’s Japan (and most other nations around the world) for you.

"Mapping Edo: The Social and Political Geography of Early Modern Japan," a new small exhibit at the Cantor Arts Center, looks at the art of Japan’s Edo period. This span, which extended from the early 1600s into the 1800s, was marked by stability and growth, with much attention paid to the arts.

This is evident in the paintings, prints and archival maps now up in the Stanford museum’s Madeleine H. Russell Gallery. Everyday scenes mingle with pastoral landscapes, historical sites and castles from early modern Japan. Artists represented include printmakers Kitao Masayoshi and Utagawa Kunisada. The show is up through Feb. 2.